This book is kind of a sharper version of Debbie Macomber's Blossom Street books. Like those books, this one is about a group of women who get together and knit. All of the women in this book are at painful points in their lives. One gets another chance at love; another gets the "love" she has waited all her life for--and realizes that if it was really love, she wouldn't have had to wait all her life for it. One of the "women" is a troubled teen who finds love in the group.
Each month this group of women meets in a Sunday School classroom to discuss a book and show off a knitting project related to the book. For example, when they read Heidi, they make a felted purse. The book involves a romance between one of the characters and the pastor of the church and a couple of the characters mention God a time or two, but if I hadn't been told this was "Christian fiction", I would never have put it in that genre. I don't know if the author/publisher would consider that a good thing or bad.
I'd recommend this book if you like books dealing with relationships between women. The publisher sent me an email asking if I wanted to tour this book this week and I accepted. A few days ago, First Wildcard sent me an email letting me know they were touring the book July 7, so if you check back then, I'll post the first chapter. I'm enjoying these blog tours; I hope those sending me the books feel they are getting their money's worth.
Monday, June 23, 2008
The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society
Beth Pattillo (Heavens to Betsy and Earth to Betsy) knows how to follow a dream—even with a pile of publishing industry rejection slips to her name. She spent seven years on the path to her first publishing contract, and the characters in her newnovel, The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society, embrace Pattillo’s persistence.
Eugenie, Ruth, Esther, Merry, and Camille are not perfect women. They each struggle with love in their own way—unrequited love, forbidden love, overwhelming love, even lost love. Yet they battle on, meeting every month in the Pairs and Spares Sunday school room to knit, discuss that month’s book selection, and puzzle out their lives.
When Eugenie throws neglected and abused teenager Hannah Simmons into their midst, however, walls decades in the making come crashing down. With secrets thrown on the table amid the tangle of yarn, needles and books, one thing becomes certain: The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society will soon discover what’s most important in the complicated lives they lead.
About Beth Pattillo
Beth Pattillo is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and holds a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt University. She and her family make their home in Tennessee. Her novel, Heavens to Betsy, won the prestigious RITA award from the Romance Writers of America. TheSweetgum Knit Lit Society is her fourth novel. To learn more, visit www.bethpattillo.com
Q&A with Beth Pattillo, author of The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society
Q. What was your inspiration behind The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society?
The book was inspired by the knitting group at my church. I loved the way a group of diverse women, from their teens to retirement age, bonded over knitting and prayer. I think book clubs experience a similar phenomenon. Something about knitting or reading together really helps to create authentic community. One of the things I enjoyed most about writing this book was looking at the world from such different points of view. Each of the women in the novel is unique. And the variety of ages and life experiences kept things interesting.
Q. In the book, troubled teen Hannah Simmons has seen her share of neglect and abuse before meeting the ladies of the Knit Lit Society. Do you see many teens like Hannah in the course of your work as an ordained minister? If so, what is your philosophy in helping them find healing?
Unfortunately, I’ve met a number of teens over the years that were neglected by their parents. I’m a strong believer in youth ministry because I know it can provide guidance and care that’s often missing in a teenager’s home. In the novel, Hannah happens to be poor, but I’ve found that income level, however high or low, doesn’t always correlate to the quality of parenting. The love and attention of a youth minister and/or youth sponsor can often keep a teen from making bad choices with disastrous consequences. Teenagers need to feel competent and valued. A strong youth ministry provides an opportunity for young people to find their spiritual gifts and use them. It also makes God’s love tangible and powerful.
Q. Since not every town has a Knit Lit Society, what would your advice be to anyone who has a "Hannah" in their life or knows of a teen in a similar situation?
Most teens need someone to listen to them without judgment or agenda. Mentoring, serving as a youth sponsor, teaching Sunday school and Bible study – these are all great ways to reach out to teenagers. As a minister, in a particular situation, I have to assess whether a teenager needs the help of social services in addition to the love and care of a church family. All ministers are required by law to report suspected abuse. Neglect, though, can be a bit trickier. Ideally, a minister can reach out to the parents as well as the teen to try and help the family become more functional and caring. I always appreciated my church members letting me know if they thought a particular teenager needed help. I think it’s better to get involved and ultimately find that the situation wasn’t as serious as you thought than to ignore something until a crisis occurs.
Q. Do you knit in your spare time?
I love to knit! I’m into hand-tied yarn right now, taking eight or nine different yarns in a particular color palette and tying 2-3 yard sections end to end. The result is wonderfully shaggy scarves or shawls that have real depth of color and texture. (I was inspired by the owner of The Shaggy Sheep in my hometown of Lubbock, Texas – a terrific yarn store!) I’m afraid I have numerous unfinished projects around the house, but one day, I hope to finish them all.
Q. You spent seven years waiting to publish your first book and now The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society is your fourth book. What advice do you have for novice or aspiring writers?
Aspiring writers have to persevere. For that matter, so do published authors. The publishing industry is a rejection-based business. Work hard, acquire a thick skin, be open to good criticism, and revise, revise, revise. As writers, we take our work personally, but the publishing industry doesn’t. Rejection is a business decision, not a critique of our value as human beings!
My other piece of advice is to write every day, even if it’s only a small amount. I run an email loop called Club 100 For Writers. The challenge is to write 100 words a day for 100 days. I’ve seen this practice transform people’s lives. Instructions for joining the group are on my website, http://www.bethpattillo.com/.
Eugenie, Ruth, Esther, Merry, and Camille are not perfect women. They each struggle with love in their own way—unrequited love, forbidden love, overwhelming love, even lost love. Yet they battle on, meeting every month in the Pairs and Spares Sunday school room to knit, discuss that month’s book selection, and puzzle out their lives.
When Eugenie throws neglected and abused teenager Hannah Simmons into their midst, however, walls decades in the making come crashing down. With secrets thrown on the table amid the tangle of yarn, needles and books, one thing becomes certain: The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society will soon discover what’s most important in the complicated lives they lead.
About Beth Pattillo
Beth Pattillo is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and holds a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt University. She and her family make their home in Tennessee. Her novel, Heavens to Betsy, won the prestigious RITA award from the Romance Writers of America. TheSweetgum Knit Lit Society is her fourth novel. To learn more, visit www.bethpattillo.com
Q&A with Beth Pattillo, author of The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society
Q. What was your inspiration behind The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society?
The book was inspired by the knitting group at my church. I loved the way a group of diverse women, from their teens to retirement age, bonded over knitting and prayer. I think book clubs experience a similar phenomenon. Something about knitting or reading together really helps to create authentic community. One of the things I enjoyed most about writing this book was looking at the world from such different points of view. Each of the women in the novel is unique. And the variety of ages and life experiences kept things interesting.
Q. In the book, troubled teen Hannah Simmons has seen her share of neglect and abuse before meeting the ladies of the Knit Lit Society. Do you see many teens like Hannah in the course of your work as an ordained minister? If so, what is your philosophy in helping them find healing?
Unfortunately, I’ve met a number of teens over the years that were neglected by their parents. I’m a strong believer in youth ministry because I know it can provide guidance and care that’s often missing in a teenager’s home. In the novel, Hannah happens to be poor, but I’ve found that income level, however high or low, doesn’t always correlate to the quality of parenting. The love and attention of a youth minister and/or youth sponsor can often keep a teen from making bad choices with disastrous consequences. Teenagers need to feel competent and valued. A strong youth ministry provides an opportunity for young people to find their spiritual gifts and use them. It also makes God’s love tangible and powerful.
Q. Since not every town has a Knit Lit Society, what would your advice be to anyone who has a "Hannah" in their life or knows of a teen in a similar situation?
Most teens need someone to listen to them without judgment or agenda. Mentoring, serving as a youth sponsor, teaching Sunday school and Bible study – these are all great ways to reach out to teenagers. As a minister, in a particular situation, I have to assess whether a teenager needs the help of social services in addition to the love and care of a church family. All ministers are required by law to report suspected abuse. Neglect, though, can be a bit trickier. Ideally, a minister can reach out to the parents as well as the teen to try and help the family become more functional and caring. I always appreciated my church members letting me know if they thought a particular teenager needed help. I think it’s better to get involved and ultimately find that the situation wasn’t as serious as you thought than to ignore something until a crisis occurs.
Q. Do you knit in your spare time?
I love to knit! I’m into hand-tied yarn right now, taking eight or nine different yarns in a particular color palette and tying 2-3 yard sections end to end. The result is wonderfully shaggy scarves or shawls that have real depth of color and texture. (I was inspired by the owner of The Shaggy Sheep in my hometown of Lubbock, Texas – a terrific yarn store!) I’m afraid I have numerous unfinished projects around the house, but one day, I hope to finish them all.
Q. You spent seven years waiting to publish your first book and now The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society is your fourth book. What advice do you have for novice or aspiring writers?
Aspiring writers have to persevere. For that matter, so do published authors. The publishing industry is a rejection-based business. Work hard, acquire a thick skin, be open to good criticism, and revise, revise, revise. As writers, we take our work personally, but the publishing industry doesn’t. Rejection is a business decision, not a critique of our value as human beings!
My other piece of advice is to write every day, even if it’s only a small amount. I run an email loop called Club 100 For Writers. The challenge is to write 100 words a day for 100 days. I’ve seen this practice transform people’s lives. Instructions for joining the group are on my website, http://www.bethpattillo.com/.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
What is the Church
I've been musing more about the youth ministry post (which I wrote and re-wrote several times before posting) and it struck me that one thing we need to decide in order to decide what we want in youth ministry is in some ways so simple, and in others, so complex. Namely, we need to decide "What is the Church"? If the Catholic church is simply those who self-identify as Catholic when asked to name their religion, or who respond affirmatively to "Are you Catholic" then my understanding is we are doing pretty well at retaining our kids, at keeping them as members of the Church. On the other hand, if we indentify the Church as that group of people who assent to all that the Church teaches and at least try to live up to it (and admit that when they don't, it is because they sin, not because the Church is wrong) then the Church is a very small, very exclusive group to which most of those who self-identify as Catholic do not belong and do not particularly want their children to belong.
Should the local parish be a place visited on Sundays and Holy Days and a place to educate or kids about the faith or should it be a place where all family members spend time, not only in prayer but also in socializing? What draws more people: trying to meet them where they are (such as the music in Lifeteen masses) or showing them where they should be (such as preaching about the evils of contraception or the necessity of confession)? Are they necessarily exclusive? If we are nothing but a social club then we are clearly missing the boat yet I've heard of more people leaving the Catholic church because they had social needs that were met at the church down the street and not at their local parish than I've heard of people leaving because they disagreed with Church teaching.
I guess what I'm saying is that while I see the danger in youth ministry that is all social or which has only a veneer of Catholicism on the plank of a social club, I think that there is a reason Christianity is not a solitary religion. While I think there are necessary parts of our faith that cannot be changed just to attract people; there are externals than can be, and in my opinion, should be, if they draw people in to hear the truth. It does little good to preach the truth to an empty church. If Gregorian Chant draws the crowds, then chant away. If Christian praise music does, well crank up the amps as far as I'm concerned. If teens want to run with other teens (which I think most parents will agree is what teens want to to) then I'd provide a time and place for them to run with other teens. However, once they are there, I think there needs to be solid teaching. Without it, you just have a social club and if that is all there is, once kids move beyond that group of friends, there is little reason to go to church.
Should the local parish be a place visited on Sundays and Holy Days and a place to educate or kids about the faith or should it be a place where all family members spend time, not only in prayer but also in socializing? What draws more people: trying to meet them where they are (such as the music in Lifeteen masses) or showing them where they should be (such as preaching about the evils of contraception or the necessity of confession)? Are they necessarily exclusive? If we are nothing but a social club then we are clearly missing the boat yet I've heard of more people leaving the Catholic church because they had social needs that were met at the church down the street and not at their local parish than I've heard of people leaving because they disagreed with Church teaching.
I guess what I'm saying is that while I see the danger in youth ministry that is all social or which has only a veneer of Catholicism on the plank of a social club, I think that there is a reason Christianity is not a solitary religion. While I think there are necessary parts of our faith that cannot be changed just to attract people; there are externals than can be, and in my opinion, should be, if they draw people in to hear the truth. It does little good to preach the truth to an empty church. If Gregorian Chant draws the crowds, then chant away. If Christian praise music does, well crank up the amps as far as I'm concerned. If teens want to run with other teens (which I think most parents will agree is what teens want to to) then I'd provide a time and place for them to run with other teens. However, once they are there, I think there needs to be solid teaching. Without it, you just have a social club and if that is all there is, once kids move beyond that group of friends, there is little reason to go to church.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Youth Ministry
Amy Welborn wrote about youth ministry and since she has comments turned off over there, I'll comment here. First of all, I have no qualifications in that area except that I am a Catholic, a parent and an ex-teenager. I am a Catholic who has never left the Church but who has four siblings, none of whom, as far as I know, are active Catholics or practice any religion. We were all raised in the same home; we all were taken to mass weekly and attended religion classes all through high school, even after most of our peers had been allowed to drop out. Why did it "take" with me and not with them? What could our parish or or parents have done differently that would have made a difference--if anything? Honestly, I don't know. Yes, we came up in the infamous era of burlap banners and feelings getting higher play than memorization of doctrine--but by the time my baby brother was confirmed, that had started to change. Even so, I know that I'm not the only member of my high school class who still attends mass--though I know of quite a few who have joined other churches.
Amy, and most conservative members of the blogosphere seem to be against youth masses, especially those with Contemporary Christian or praise music. The music is a topic for another day, but I'll say that as a mother, I like family mass as part of what we do as a family. I don't know the population at our Lifeteen mass. I don't know if they are kids who, lacking the Lifeteen mass would be attending another mass (with or without family members) or if they are kids who, if it was not for Lifeteen, wouldn't be attending mass at all. I know that even before Lifeteen, I did not see large numbers of teens at the mid-morning mass. I also know that while there is a core of about 20 kids I see together when we do attend the Lifeteen mass, judging by the size of the school and CCD program, if all the parish teens attended, there would be over 200 kids. Clearly Lifeteen isn't getting most of them to come to that mass regularly--but does it get kids to come who wouldn't otherwise? Does it develop a love for Christ/the Church/mass that those twenty regulars wouldn't already have?
Amy says she'd rather her teen see a mass full of people who have fought the good fight, lived life, rather than a mass full of people with basically the same lack of experience as they have. But how do teens view those older people? Do they see them as examples to be followed, or as proof that church isn't for them anymore than the local senior citizen's club is? She wants them to see parents with kids, single adults, the whole spectrum of people in the Church--but she also says it will be a good thing when her daughter goes off to college and can get involved in a good campus ministry program. Why the difference? What about kids who aren't going to college?
I don't know the answers but I do know that many kids who are raised Catholic leave the Church, either for the Protestant church down the street or for no church at all. Is there anything we can do about it?
Amy, and most conservative members of the blogosphere seem to be against youth masses, especially those with Contemporary Christian or praise music. The music is a topic for another day, but I'll say that as a mother, I like family mass as part of what we do as a family. I don't know the population at our Lifeteen mass. I don't know if they are kids who, lacking the Lifeteen mass would be attending another mass (with or without family members) or if they are kids who, if it was not for Lifeteen, wouldn't be attending mass at all. I know that even before Lifeteen, I did not see large numbers of teens at the mid-morning mass. I also know that while there is a core of about 20 kids I see together when we do attend the Lifeteen mass, judging by the size of the school and CCD program, if all the parish teens attended, there would be over 200 kids. Clearly Lifeteen isn't getting most of them to come to that mass regularly--but does it get kids to come who wouldn't otherwise? Does it develop a love for Christ/the Church/mass that those twenty regulars wouldn't already have?
Amy says she'd rather her teen see a mass full of people who have fought the good fight, lived life, rather than a mass full of people with basically the same lack of experience as they have. But how do teens view those older people? Do they see them as examples to be followed, or as proof that church isn't for them anymore than the local senior citizen's club is? She wants them to see parents with kids, single adults, the whole spectrum of people in the Church--but she also says it will be a good thing when her daughter goes off to college and can get involved in a good campus ministry program. Why the difference? What about kids who aren't going to college?
I don't know the answers but I do know that many kids who are raised Catholic leave the Church, either for the Protestant church down the street or for no church at all. Is there anything we can do about it?
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